Most artists who put a “Doc” in their name do it out of cleverness, for marketing reasons, or as a crafty way to express their mastery of their instrument or vibe. Since the release of his 2003 debut Saxappeal, Phillip “Doc” Martin has all that down pat, wowing audiences everywhere from Blues Alley in D.C. to the St. Lucia Jazz Festival and the Catalina Island JazzTrax Festival and earning inspiring amounts of airplay (including on XM Watercolors and The Weather Channel) for tracks like “Deep Pockets” and the title track from his 2009 set Realization. His latest Innervision Records release Pocket Love further establishes this powerful expertise via his dynamic flow and tight, funky old school driven alto vibe.

While many independent artists with cool, successful “day jobs” prefer to avoid references to them when they talk about their music, Martin is the complete opposite, fully embracing the inspirational factor of being a top notch practitioner in two very different professions. Beyond his ever-expanding musical fan base, hundreds of patients in the Washington DC area know him as “Dr. Martin,” a board certified dentist in group practice there. He called his previous album Good Day At Work (2013) to reflect his artful balance between the rigours of life as a dentist and the sometimes exhilarating, often challenging grind of being an independent artist and performer. One of the insert photos in the packaging of Pocket Love finds him enjoying the best of both worlds, embracing his treasured alto while wearing his green scrubs and cap.

“My first love was always playing the sax, and I continue to strive to be the best sounding alto player you’ve ever heard. If it’s unheard of that a saxophone artist also wants to be the best dentist you’ve ever gone to, that’s a testament to the hard work I have put in so that I may enjoy these two amazing careers. In both worlds, success comes from working with incredible, dedicated people and developing inspiring, enduring relationships.”

What They Play

The 52nd Street saxophone is a professional instrument and comes un-lacquered for a truly vintage appearance. It is an exceptionally responsive horn in all registers and produces a big, fat sound with precise intonation. A larger bell and rolled-style tone holes contribute to the sound qualities of this instrument that many compare to some of the great vintage horns of the past. Solid construction with comfortable hand position and extras such as adjustable palm keys.

High F# key

Upper and lower stack adjustment screws

Adjustable palm key heights

Hand-engraved neck and bell

Double-braced low C, B, and Bb keys on all models

Metal resonators

Adjustable metal thumb hook

Italian leather pads

Blue steel springs

Aged un-lacquered brass

Hand-hammered bell

Large bell

52nd Street scene engraving

Rolled-style tone holes

Available with no high F# option

CASX600 case Included

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